August 3: What's Jen Clicking on Between Newscasts?

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Here's a really creepy image to mull over, and keep an eye out for in and around Los Angeles. It's only anecdotal evidence we have so far, that this Obama "socialism" poster is being plastered all over the place, because most of the pictures I have seen of it on websites this morning look like they were taken on the same on-ramp.

Anyway, the story goes that this poster is going "viral" and first started appearing all over Los Angeles over the weekend.

The Obama posters feature Obama draw as Heath Ledger Joker and adds the captions of socialism or socialist. The Los Angeles location of the posters haven’t been identified which have appeared on some news sites crashing today and reportedly snapped by photographer “Chris”.

The poster’s author has not been identified. And all the snaps are reportedly from the same on-ramp, yet with unconfirmed comments on blogs today saying the poster is appearing also at on-ramps / underpasses in the Hollywood area."

An Indian website called Khabrein.info calls it a new "craze" in Los Angeles. (ever notice the farther away the source is, the kookier the story is allowed to be?) Also notice the crummy use of language and grammar:

Is it a proof that Obama is losing support among different sections of the US society? Or is it an effort to malign him in useless controversies.

US President Barack Obama is apparently losing some support among public for his healthcare plan. If there was some doubt it was cleared with latest survey conducted by New York Times recently.

Another survey conducted by Wall Street Journal/NBC News also gives similar feeling that people are increasingly feeling disenchanted with the President’s healthcare plan.

Blogger Robert Dougherty brushes all this aside as nonsense in a piece called "Obama Joker Poster an Inaccurate Comparison," he posted just a few minutes ago, as I was writing this. On the website "Associated Content," he writes:

As if it isn't enough to equate President Obama to a sadistic, murdering terrorist, a more typical charge of socialism is made in the bottom of the Obama Joker poster. Nothing more specific is spelled out, and no one as of yet has figured out where these posters come from, or who made them.

If President Obama isn't called a socialist once every day, then it is a day where his opponents must be busy taking a nap. The Obama Joker poster is a new tactic, however, albeit small time. But using the Joker to paint Obama as a socialist isn't really that accurate at all.

The Joker was many things, but was hardly a socialist. In fact, the Joker is the polar opposite of a socialist, and anyone who watched The Dark Knight would know that. Socialism is the result of an all powerful central government that runs every aspect of life - but the Joker subscribes to anarchy, one of socialism's polar opposites.

If the Joker was a socialist, he would be destroying Gotham in the name of an all powerful state. Instead, the self-described "agent of chaos" nearly brought down the state itself, and all of its most cherished institutions, so that nothing could bring order to Gotham.

He points out that while a few of these posters have been spotted as far away from LA as Atlanta, they've been brought to most people's attention by "right wing websites." I've been driving around all weekend and haven't seen one in person; in fact I saw this story on the Drudge Report.

The LA Examiner just posted an update saying:

Who made the poster (or who is distributing them) is not yet known. As expected, many are outraged and offended by the poster. As the day progresses, the poster is beginning to appear on off-ramps and underpasses in the Hollywood area. Although reports at this time are unconfirmed, it is being reported that the release of the Obama Joker posters may be a coordinated endeavor across the US today by groups or organizations angry with the President, presumably, over issues relating to the proposed universal health care.

Stay tuned, and I'll see if we can't get to the bottom of who exactly is behind the posters and how many of them there really are. Sightings? Hit me up on Twitter, and we'll see what we can dig up ... !